Ashley Coles

Occupation: Student/Musician
Hometown: Caledonia, ON
Audition City: Kitchener-Waterloo, ON
Place of Birth: Hamilton, ON
Nickname: "Ash" or "Shly"
Sounds Like: Melissa Etheridge/Christina Aguilera
Identifies With: Kelly Clarkson
Favourite Song: Bring Him Home
Canadian Idol: Colin James
Motto: "My glass is half full, not half empty because I know I have more to accomplish in life."

"This competition has made me a stronger person. Each elimination was bittersweet because I was happy to make it through but it was hard to say goodbye to so many new friends."

If Ashley could meet one person, living or dead it would be Janis Joplin. "She is so musically inspiring," she says. The people who have inspired her the most, however, are her parents. She says, "They work so hard so that my siblings and I can have everything we want. I love them so much."

A Grade Eleven student at McKinnon Park Secondary School, Ashley works in a gym but used to have a summer job on a boat. Ashley was shocked that she made the Top 22. "There was so much talent that I was surprised," she says. "When (the judges) took me to another room I thought I was done, then Sass came in and fooled me and told me I had made it!"

"Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables inspires Ashley the most. "It's such a beautiful song. I cry every time I hear it," she says. Thanks to her family, she has fallen in love with Ray LaMontagne and would give anything to see him in concert. Ashley also loves the Blue Jays, Italian food, Inked and The O.C.

What about Canada is Ashley most proud of? "Canadians make you feel good when you visit a new place. They can make you feel at home when you aren't," she says. "People have traveled from near and far for this competition but at the end of the day, no matter where they end up in Canada, they will feel at home."

I think Ashley sings ok for her age; yes she's still young. But I don't think she has the fan base to support her all the way to the top. It's great experience for her and I would hope she would return in a couple of years if she leaves in the next week or so.